Browse by Label: SARAVAH (FRANCE)

Artist:	HIGELIN, JACQUES
Title:	Inedits 1970
Label:	SARAVAH (FRANCE)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	SHL 1008CD

Saravah is an independent French label, founded by Pierre Barouh in 1965. They have documented strange French pop, folk and jazz and are still around, although their moto seems to be "Some years you don't feel like doing anything" which might explain their sporadic output. Jacques Higelin was a key tangential figure to the Brigitte Fontaine/Areski universe, who recorded a series of albums in the 70s, include these earliest ones for Saravah (Fontaine & Higelin were recording together as early as '67 if I'm not mistaken). Inedits 1970 is a CD original release of previously unavailable archive material recorded at the Saravah studio in 1970. Higelin sings, plays guitar, accordion, piano, banjo. Areski provides exotic percussion, etc. Brigitte Fontaine drops by for some background vocals. The first half of this is pleasant folk-rock, with a particular French slant & quite beautiful at times. The final track, "A Moi Les Monstres" is a nineteen minute freak-out, dominated by Areski's diverse percussion, acid-flash production and 3-sheets-to-the-wind vocalizing from Higelin. A wild and unknown tripped out cosmic intervention most deserving of attention.

Artist:	AKENDENGUE, PIERRE
Title:	Nandipo/Afrika Obota
Label:	SARAVAH (FRANCE)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	SHL 1051CD

1991 CD issue of 2 early albums by Pierre Akendengue (his first from 1974 and 5th? from about '78 -- both originally issued by Saravah), recently listed by The Wire in their "100 Records That set The World of Fire" article. "Recorded in the early 70s, before 'world music' was the rage. A spellbinding encounter between an African poet, musician, story teller, Pierre Akendengue, and a Brazilian percussion wizard, Nana Vasconcellos. "Composer, guitarist, dramatist, poet and singer, Pierre Akendengue's influence in his home, Gabon, is huge; in the Francophone world, he's made a dent; everywhere else, he's barely a footnote. Nandipo, his first album, becomes a play -- each song a dramatic act made of miniature scenes. Complementary voices (tight harmonic choruses, Akendengue's own trilling tenor and emphatic reading voice), arc above a collection of individual instruments, each running on their rhymic line. The album is accented by soft acoustic guitar, shakers in stereo effect, slicing flexitone, berimbau and cuica, deep cello. With the assitance of Brazil's Nana Vasconcelos, Akendengue seamlessly incorporated the French popular melodic vocal style, brisk Amazonian percussion, and solid, soulful African themes, words and energy: a 'fourth world' styling several years early." -- Robin Edgerton/The Wire. Limited stock.

Artist:	BAROUH, PIERRE
Title:	Viking Bank
Label:	SARAVAH (FRANCE)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SHL 2114CD

2003 remastered reissue of Barouh's third album, originally issued in 1977. Pierre Barouh is the founder of the Saravah label, and producer of Brigitte Fontaine. Well known for this orchestral-tinged, bossa-influenced composition style. "Recorded in 1976 over Jean-Pierre Auffredo's orchestrations, Viking Bank is one of the last ones from the 'great time' where Saravah had its office and recording studio at Montmartre. The record passed unnoticed at the time and Pierre Barouh's humbleness, or rather, his natural capacity of recognizing other people's talent, explains why this fine album is only now available to all enthusiasts."

Artist:	BAROUH, PIERRE
Title:	Saudade
Label:	SARAVAH (FRANCE)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	SHL 2115CD

2003 release compiling Barouh's earliest works. "This is the compilation of Barouh's rare singles recorded in 1960 -- 1963. Most of songs were co-written with Francis Lai. And some songs were re-recorded in the later albums. Young and lovely, but full of 'Saudade'. Though the sound production is like a conventional 'chanson' and not very much sophisticated, these songs definitely capture three constant features of Barouh. The most amazing song is title track, 'Saudade (Un manque habite)'. This was co-written and played with Baden Powell in 1960. This should be the first attempt of French Bossa Nova in the history. Considering that the "first" Bossa Nova song, "Chega De Saudade" by Joao Gilberto, was released in 1958, and "Getz/Gilberto", which made Bossa Nova international hit, was released in 1963, this recording may be the very first attempt of non -Brazilian Bossa Nova. More than a historical meaning of this song, it is a beautiful song which hits your heart directly. So, this is the first step of how an amateur in music, full of curiosity, could make the great records." -- SaTou

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